Council looks to $3m saving on Victoria Square work

An Adelaide City Council committee wants to defer construction of eateries in Victoria Square in favour of building a lower-cost area for food trucks to park.

The Infrastructure and Public Works Committee has voted to recommend construction of an area to suit the vans and estimates it would save the council $3 million.

It would reduce the budget for stage one of the Square redevelopment from $31 million to $28 million.

Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood says cafes could still be built at the northern and southern ends of the Square as part of the second stage of work.

"The space that was designed ultimately for a cafe, which could still happen in the future, was going cost about $3 million, instead we'll make it a hard stand area at low cost that can actually plug in infrastructure for one of those multitude of mobile food catering trucks," he said.

"We'll make sure that mobile food catering that's provided in the Square is done at a time that will not impinge on key trading hours for existing restaurants and catering businesses in the city."

The recommendation will go to a full council meeting next week.

Fears of huge North Adelaide 'car park'

More parking restrictions for North Adelaide will be considered to help cope with crowds using the upgraded Adelaide Oval from next year.

The City Council wants to avoid North Adelaide becoming a huge 'car park' on game days.

The council forecasts more than 5,000 drivers might choose to park in North Adelaide if there are no more than the current restrictions.

Consultation has found the Women's and Children's Hospital already is struggling with a shortage of parking for staff and visitors.

A draft management plan for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays would increase use of paid parking along War Memorial Drive.

There could also be two-hour restrictions within a 1.25-kilometre radius of the oval.

Further away, three-hour parking zones would apply.

North Adelaide business owner Tony Greven said time restrictions would just push the problem elsewhere and more car parking spaces were a better option.

"Sort the car parking solution out, don't try and band-aid it with what's going on now I guess. If you could go to the parklands there would be no problem with it, footy people would do it. You could have your restrictions and everything but you've also got to have somewhere for people to park now don't you?" he said.

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